Remember Me
by phoenix0723
Summary: Memory is a curse - at least it seems that way to Edmund Pevensie and Avalon Carter who can't seem to escape their troubled past. After one of them stumbles into a strange and new world can they help each other realize that the pain of remembering might just be the greatest gift of all before they themselves become nothing more than just a memory?
1. A Lion's Roar

**Remember Me**

**Hey it's me, phoenix0723 :) So this is the prologue of "Remember Me" which used to be "Will the real prince charming please stand up?". **

**Hope you guys enjoy and tell me what you think!**

* * *

"_I hate remembering… but I can't stand to forget."_

PROLOGUE:

It was one of _those _nights.

Edmund Pevensie had everything it the entire world – he was a king for goodness sake. So why? Why were there times when he wanted to go back? Why did he stare at the constellations dotting the sky for years every night and still feel like he was in a foreign land? Like he wasn't home?

Home.

London or Narnia?

It tore him apart as he stood on his balcony overlooking the Western Wood and squinted his eyes in an attempt to see the dim light from an all too familiar lamp post.

Of course Edmund would never tell his siblings of nights such as this when he desperately wished to return. When he wished he had been given a choice to return back to London like Eustace had. He would never utter to them those times when he visited the old lamp post in search of coats instead of branches because there were just some things he wasn't ready to tell and this was one of them.

"_Why can't I just be like Lucy, Peter and Susan? Why do I remember? Why can't I forget?" _the young man thought as he begged the sky for an answer, which never came.

Unlike his siblings, Edmund did remember London. He remembered its smell, the cars, the war – his life before Narnia. Sure, Peter, Susan and Lucy knew of London. They knew of mom and remembered dad. They knew they had a life there but they had forgotten. They forgot Professor Kirk and Mrs. Macready and the spare room and the wardrobe. But he hadn't.

No, Edmund remembered it all very well.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his jet-black hair and despite the dark circles under his eyes the Just King could not succumb to sleep. He had been restless for several nights now and it irked him to no end. Times like this Edmund knew what was coming…

Something was about to happen.

Something _big_

"_I need a walk." _He thought, thinking that it might just be what he needed to clear his head and tire his body so that maybe just maybe he would get a good night's sleep.

Far from the comforts of Cair Paravel a lion's roar echoed through the Western Wood.

* * *

Avalon Carter wanted _out_.

She could not understand why she allowed her best friend, Charlotte, to drag her into this wedding celebration of her older sister's, best friend's cousin. Yeah, Charlotte's family was weird like that.

And another thing was that she absolutely abhorred weddings because she was reminded of her own parents' marriage and she knew all too well how badly that ended.

"They seem happy." A deep voice said and she looked over to see that Seth Charmichael, the last member of their little trio, sit down beside her.

She scoffed as she observed the laughing couple, "Happiness is relative much like love. It's an illusion that people throw themselves at to make life seem a little less fucked up."

"You do realize we're at a wedding right? Being cynical isn't really welcomed." Seth said chuckling.

"I'm not being cynical; I'm being realistic. Love is temporary. It doesn't last and it's not a forever thing." The girl argued.

"I believe the correct term would be pessimistic." He pointed out.

She rolled her eyes at the comment. One could not blame her for thinking this way; her own father left when she was 11 and she grew up surrounded by aunts and uncles and even her grandmother who were all divorced.

After her father abandoned her mother and her two younger siblings, her mother fell into a fit of depression. She literally just sat there staring at an old wedding photo leaving Avalon to take care of her two younger siblings.

Adam and Emma forgave their mother easily when she came back to her senses after leaving them for 11 months. But she didn't. She couldn't forget what she had done to them or the lack of what she had done.

She watched from the corner of her eye as the happy couple kissed and everyone cheered.

"Okay, I'm leaving." Avalon said standing. She never could stand too much happiness in one room – in her experience it just meant bad things were coming. Plus there was the fact that she wanted to hurl at all the lovey dovey crap happening around her.

"I'll drive you home." Seth said standing but his suggestion was quickly dismissed when Avalon shook her head.

"And how do you suppose to get home?" he asked quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna run, genius." She said with a smirk as she lifted her dress and displayed her black converse before disappearing into the shadows of the party.

…

…

…

One foot in front of the other – no thinking.

That was one of the things she loved about running. For a moment, one brief beautiful moment, there was nothing. Nothing but the pounding of your chest so hard it was the only thing you heard and thought about.

The party wasn't that far off from where she lived and she found herself taking the long way and passing through the park. It was barren – just how she liked it.

She had halted in her sprint and had begun walking the rest of the way when she heard it…

"_Was that a… roar?" _she thought glancing at her surroundings.

* * *

**Did you guys like it? Hate it? **

**It's a bit similar to the prologue I wrote for "Will the real prince charming please stand up?" but I wanted to speed things up a bit because one of the problems with "Will the real..." was that it felt like it would never end so yeah.**

**Anyway I hope you guys liked it and don't forget to review ;)**


	2. Strange Mountains

**Remember Me**

**HEY GUYS! I know I haven't updated in awhile but I was out of the country and brought only my phone so it was really really hard for me to write this chapter on tiny keypad because mah thumbs are like puffy cheetos :)**

**I was really surprised when I got back yesterday and found 3 people had PMed me. That has never happened before and one of them was really angry that I hadn't update... is it weird that I'm happy about that LOL :D**

**Well anyway here's the chapter you've been waiting for... ENJOY!**

* * *

_"Stranger things have happened..."_

CHAPTER 2

"Great. Just great." Edmund muttered as droplets of rain pelted over his hunched frame.

Just 5 minutes into his walk around the palace gardens and he's met by a downpour and is now currently trying to get to shelter.

It seemed, to the young man that Narnia was taking every chance to make him feel less and less at home every second – sleepless nights and on the nights he did get to sleep… nightmares. On top of that: problems in the Western Wood, harsh weather, and constant migraines.

Something was about to happen.

He couldn't seem to shake off that feeling and it irked him to no end.

His eyes squinted through the rain and focused on the dim lights that emitted from the castle, which was now quite a long way off now - he had walked farther than he had expected.

_BEEP! BEEP!_

His eyes widened and he turned his figure towards source of the strange sound – it was like a horn but there was something different about it but at the same time familiar.

"Who's there?" he called out – his body ridged and eyes alert.

He gazed into the thickness of the forest where the voice seemed to come from. _"I'm going to regret this…" _he thought as he pulled out a sharp dagger from his boot leg which he always kept on him and stepped into the thickness.

* * *

"PETER!" Lucy's shrill cry echoed through the palace halls.

The high king shot up, awakened from his peaceful slumber to have a frantic Lucy barge into the room.

The king's eyes widened at his sister's distress and he got out of bed and grabbed his sword.

"Lu, what's the matter?" he said as he held onto Lucy's small shoulders to steady her quivering frame.

"What's going on in here?" Susan's worried voice cut through the tension in the room and her gaze zeroed in on Lucy's shaking frame.

"What's happened Peter?" she asked rushing to her siblings' sides.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Peter relied curtly and faced the hysterical girl once again.

"Edmund's gone." Lucy croaked before she burst into a fit of tears and buried her face into Peter's chest.

* * *

Edmund grunted as he ducked and cut yet another branch in the pouring rain. He was rather ticked off because he had only just realized that he could have in fact returned in the morning when it was not raining.

"Curiosity killed the cat." He muttered under his breath and cursed his unfortunate situation.

The sounds were long gone and he had no idea where he was – it was dark and it was raining.

"If this is some kind of test Aslan, a clue as to what I suppose to do exactly would be well appreciated." he called out to the visible sky in the small clearing above him.

Thunder crackled and the heavens cried even harder than ever.

"Thank you!" he called out rolling his eyes as he trudged onwards – he figured forest had to end somewhere right?

* * *

"I've sent the guards out to look for him around the palace gardens and he doesn't seem to be anywhere inside Cair." Susan said dejectedly.

Peter ran a hand through his unruly blonde hair and sighed.

"Do you think he –" but the king was cut off.

"No." came Susan's stern voice, "he did not run away Peter. He probably just wandered off somewhere. He has been acting rather odd lately… unfocused." She mused and looked over to her brother before walking towards him.

"He knows you love him." She said comfortingly as she rubbed her brother's back.

Peter and Edmund were still the same as the first time they entered Narnia. Despite their best efforts they were too different. Undoubtedly they loved each other but they still fought… a lot. And there were times when Peter would exercise his authority over Edmund – something that had been happening quite often in the past week because of Ed's recent 18th birthday celebration. Fact of the matter was that Edmund hated it.

The two older Pevensies turned their heads as the door opened to reveal Lucy who surprisingly had a smile on her tear stained features.

"Are you alright Lu?" Susan said as she opened her arms to embrace her younger sister who nodded her head in response.

"Aslan came to me in a dream…" she began giddily like a school girl on Christmas, "he is watching over Edmund and has something important planned for him."

* * *

"_Does it ever end?" _he thought exasperatedly as he swatted off another branch. _"Well at least the rain receded."_

He was halted in his tracks when he heard gruff voices in a distance. The young king crept over behind a large boulder and observed the scene before him.

"Did you hear the news?" a low and gruff voice asked.

"What news?" another replied.

Edmund peeked from his hiding spot. "Giants." He muttered and clutched his dagger tighter in his palm.

"The king traitor has gone missing."

Edmund cringed at the nickname. _Traitor. _Would it ever be forgotten?

"WHAAT! And you only bothered to tell me this now Nimgroll?" one sneered.

"_She_ will be very disappointed to hear about this. The attack on Cair must be moved if there is only 3."

Edmund's eyes widened. Attack? On Cair Paravel?

"_I've got to warn the others." _He thought as he got up and hastily left his hideout.

"Well, well, well," a voice called behind him and his body stiffened, "look what we have here."

He turned to face two huge giants with smug grins on their faces.

"Stand down." He ordered raising his dagger.

"Stand down? Stand down he says?" One said laughing.

"You won't get away with this treachery." He sneered.

"Are you sure you're the right person to lecture us about treachery King Edmund?" they taunted before he lunged.

It seemed he was in a bit of a pickle.

After finishing off the two giants resulting in a few cuts and bruises, 4 more took their place and Edmund found himself running blindly through the forest.

The storm had picked up again.

"Really?" I shouted to the high heavens before sprinting away.

Their footsteps were getting louder. They were gaining on him.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." He cursed because there was no way he could fight 4 fully grown giants by himself with just a dagger. Just as he was about to wallow at how totally unfortunate his situation was lightning cut through the dark sky illuminating a nearby mountain.

"_Was that there before?" _he asked himself but decided not to think about it too much since he was after all still being chased and quickly made his way towards the mountain.

"Over there!" he heard one of the giants call out which made him run even faster but he stopped when he came to a dead end.

"_I need a cave or a large crevice where I can hide." _He thought as he glanced around and began feeling the sides of the mountain with his hands.

He looked to the right and saw the shadows of the approaching giants and eased himself into a corner.

"_This is the end." _ He thought as he pressed himself as close as possible against the mountain walls only to fall back into the opening of a cave.

...

...

...

_THUD._

"What in Aslan's name…" he muttered on the ground as he glanced around the dark cave.

He was not going to ignore it anymore - this was definitely not here before and this was no ordinary mountain. In fact he doubted if it was a mountain was even a mountain and that this cave was even a cave. Caves did not have strange ropes lining the walls and the walls were not made of rocks…

"_There is a deep magic more powerful than any of us that rules over all of Narnia. It defines right and wrong and governs all our destinies." _

_Governs all our destinies.  
_

_All._

_Our._

_Destinies._

It was then when he felt a sharp tug and he focused his eyes on a white speck at the end of the tunnel and heard a deafening roar before he was suddenly pulled up.

"What in the blazes are you doing down there boy?" a scruffy man asked, "You could have gotten yourself run over by the train."

"_Train?"_ he thought as he looked around him and his gaze focused on a sign.

London Train Station.

His eyes widened.

He was back.

* * *

It was quite disorienting for him and his clothes had disappeared and he was clad in faded grey trousers but they weren't trousers they had some kind of a rough feel to them and a white shirt that turned red at the sleeves and strange cloth shoes which had rubber as it's tip.

"What am I wearing?" he muttered under his breath and the man who had saved him eyed him curiously.

"Are you sure you're alright lad? Do you want me to call your folks?" he asked to which Edmund shook his head.

"I'm aright. Thank you." he said standing and facing the man.

Then an idea popped into his head.

"Actually there may be something you could do to aid me," he said, "would you happen to know where Harold and Alberta Scrubb live?"

Yes, his own relatives who resided in London would be a good place to go to. That is if they were still alive… what year was it now? It was all part of his brilliant plan: find Scrubbs' house and get to Eustace.

"Scrubb?" the man asked as he rubbed his chin, "You know them?" he asked and Edmund nodded his head.

"They're my relatives."

The man's face brightened as he quickly gave Edmund the directions to the Scrubb residence.

"Good luck kid; they're not the nicest of people." The man said before walking off.

About an hour later, he found himself standing in front of a quaint house. To tell you the truth Edmund was a little freaked out by this new London; the cars were different and people spoke into small black rectangular things like someone could actually hear them. Yup, definitely strange. Very strange.

He rang the doorbell and hoped to Aslan that Eustace would be the one to answer the door.

He began taking note of his surroundings...

"Edmund?" a voice gasped and the said boy turned to face his now rather grown up, bedraggled cousin.

"Hello Eustace."

* * *

**Hope you guys liked it! Review please they make my day :) and I might even review in 3 days ;)**

**Ciao!**

**phoenix0723**


	3. Edward Cullen

**Remember Me**

**HEY GUYS! (calls while hiding behind a huge bolder) I know, I know, I know it's been awhile since I updated. Well more than awhile... I'm the princess AND the queen of not updating :) Please don't hate me...**

**It's been pretty hectic since the last time I updated and it was like I was being pulled left, right, up and down and let me tell you it's not fun. **

**But school's started and I know that to most writers that means they won't be updating as much but for me it means I'll be updating more IDK why but I get bored in class a lot and tend to think about fanfiction a lot :D  
**

**OH AND DON'T JUDGE THE CHAPTER TITLE, I'M FEELING KINDA CRAZY RIGHT NOW :) BUT YOU'LL SEE THE CONNECTION LATER ;)**

**So anyway I will end this A/N now and let you read :)**

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CHAPTER 3

"You were supposed to arrive on Tuesday!?" Eustace exclaimed as he stared at Edmund who he believed was supposed to be in Narnia with Peter, Susan and Lucy running matters in the Western Wood and signing treaties and fighting battles and well... being king. But no. He was here in London, standing on his doorstep at 2 am in the morning. He blinked his eyes to make sure they were not deceiving him.

"I didn't know I was coming at all." Edmund muttered as he pushed passed Eustace and plopped himself down on the couch.

"Where are the others?" Eustace asked shutting the door and entering the living room where Edmund currently was. He was expecting Peter or Lucy to pop out of nowhere in an attempt to surprise him or Susan to waltz in in all her elegance, grace and poise that always made Eustace think she was in a never-ending ballet. But none of the sort happened and he was curious. Very curious.

"Back in Narnia." Ed said like it was the most obvious thing in the world as he struggled to remove his shoes. His feet were excruciatingly sore - he was not accustomed to the shoes here. Oh how he would kill for his leather riding boots from Narnia.

Eustace's face changed from utter confusion to absolute surprise in a matter of seconds. _"If Ed's here at they're there that means…" _The poor boy's mind went into a panic as he absorbed the gravity of the situation but his cousin's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"Back to the point, Eustace!" Ed cried snapping his fingers in front of Eustace's rather contorted face to get his attention, "you knew I was coming?" Ed asked, a shocked expression on his features.

Dismissing his panicked thoughts, Eustace nodded, "Well we received an email a few days ago from Mrs. Macready saying that she was to send you and the others since you were to go to school here. I didn't think much of it seeing as I expect you guys to still be in Narnia but then you show up and then..." Eustace trailed off when he saw the confused look of Edmund's face.

"What's an email?" Edmund asked as the foreign word escaped his lips. Eustace sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "This is going to take awhile." And so the hours passed and Eustace explained to our dear Edmund what had happened in the years of his absence.

It took some time for Eustace to explain the complexities of our world to Edmund who was baffled at both the downfall and rise of the world while he and his siblings were in Narnia. But he did – at least the basics anyway.

"So do you understand now old man?" Eustace smirked after finishing his rather long and detailed story.

"You do know that I'm still technically 18 right?" Edmund muttered, too overwhelmed by everything to react violently to his cousin's comment on his age.

It was already quarter to 6 and the boys had forgotten that Edmund's sudden presence in the Scrubb house a day early could not be explained to Aunt Alberta or Uncle Harold unless they actually told them the truth, which was that he was brought back here by… magic.

So it came as a shock to them when they heard Aunt Alberta's shrill cry from the second floor.

"EUSTACE!"

Looks of terror and panic flashed through both boys' faces as it dawned on them the boatload of shit that was about to be dumped on them.

"EUSTACE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Shit!" Eustace cursed under his breath, "What do we do?"

"Follow my lead." Edmund ordered as the sound footsteps got louder.

Eustace scoffed, "Just because you're a king in Narnia doesn't mean you can order me around."

"Just play along." Edmund hissed as Aunt Alberta strode into the living room.

"What in heaven's name is going on in here?" she demanded looking between the two boys – her eyes widened a fraction as they settled on Edmund.

Edmund slowed his erratic breathing. He was accustomed to handling these kinds of situations – it came with being a Narnian ambassador and making peace treaties with other nations that generally wanted to kill them.

"I apologize if my arrival today was rather… abrupt but it would seem that you were misinformed, Aunt Alberta." Edmund said stepping forward and shot a look at Eustace who quickly caught on.

"Cousin Edmund's arrival was today _not_ tomorrow." Eustace piped up.

Aunt Alberta immediately began making a fuss about how careless old people were these days in relaying information and began apologizing profusely to Edmund for the mistake. It took a few minutes to calm the hysterical woman down before she had a heart attack but finally they managed to hustle her out of the living room to start breakfast.

"It seems Aslan has taken care of my accommodations here." Edmund mused as they watched her leave the room.

"Not to mention your schooling, your acceptance letter just arrived." Eustace said as he scanned through the rather thick pile of mail and handed the said letter to his cousin.

"Great… _school_." Edmund muttered as he stared at the fancy wax stamp that sealed the creamy white envelope.

* * *

"Guess what I just overheard Stacy Connors and Mila Johnson talking about in the hallway!" Charlotte squealed as she inserted herself in between Seth and Avalon during lunch.

"What?" Seth and Avalon said in unison, their voices laced with indifference. Charlotte always seemed to know something and felt the need to relay it to them – not that either of them really cared about most of the things she babbled about.

"There's this new student who just transferred today – he's Eustace Scrubb's cousin – and he is_ freaking gorgeous_!" she shrieked as she fanned herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.

Seth shook his head as most guys would when girls began talking about boys and focused on the rather thick Trigonometry book that was laid in front of him.

Avalon was unimpressed with Charlotte's praise for the new kid. Every week she'd claim that someone from somewhere from some class was either "freaking gorgeous" or "bloody smoking" and after awhile the obsession would die down. She didn't think this would be any different. "He's probably an ass." Avalon stated as she sipped her apple juice.

"He's probably got a _fine_ piece of ass from what I've heard." Charlotte corrected. "Besides," she continued as she made a grab for Avalon's drink from the girl's hand and took a sip, "what do you have against cute guys?"

"Absolutely nothing," Avalon answered with a glare as she snatched her drink back, "I'm just saying that more often than not cute guys _know_ they're cute so they act like they're better than everybody hence the ass part."

"Must you be so cynical towards men? You need a little romance in your life, Avie. The only guy you talk willingly to is Seth!" Charlotte cried out.

Avalon scoffed, "Char, I do not need _romance_," She said saying the last word with scorn, "I am perfectly content the way I am. Besides heaven knows you get enough romance to last a lifetime for the both of us." She muttered under her breath.

The whispers and murmurs around the cafeteria seemed to increase as news of the "drop-dead gorgeous" new kid spread like wild fire. Most guys rolled their eyes and shrugged their shoulders nonchalantly but were secretly fuming as they shot pissed off and/or worried glances towards the female population. New cute guy = competition.

Avalon focused her attention back to her book. She didn't have time for menial things like boys or romance. She had work after school and she still had to cook dinner and help Adam and Emma with their homework.

The doors of the cafeteria swung open to reveal two male figures. One so insanely familiar and wore a goofy smile on his features and the other stood impassively beside him not paying heed to the attention that they were drawing. The whispers and squealing stopped and the entire cafeteria held their breath.

"Oh. My. God." Charlotte gaped.

Confused and a little curious as to what had brought about the welcomed silence, Avalon looked up from her book and her sea blue eyes clashed with deep, dark chocolate brown ones. When she realized it was the new kid, she quickly broke their gaze, not seeing the need to stare and ogle at him, and focused once again on the formulas in front of her.

* * *

The minute he entered the cafeteria all eyes were on him and he inwardly groaned. It seemed that even back in London he could not catch a break. Eustace had purposely left out the part that the school was co-ed. Being here in this world felt… _strange. _He found himself saying that word quite often now.

"_That's strange." _Edmund thought as he met eyes with this one girl who stared at him with a confused expression before returning back to what looked like a school book. _"Nobody ever looks away from me."_ He was slightly offended. Slightly. Though he never cared for the attention that was showered on him he was accustomed to it. But before he could think more of it, Eustace nudged him and he realized that they hadn't moved since they entered and became a spectacle for the entire school to watch. He straightened his shoulders and walked towards the food line.

There was a variety of food laid before him and Edmund decided that for today he would just get the exact same thing as Eustace. He could still feel the lingering stares of the entire school population and sighed. Some things never changed. Then out of nowhere a figure stood in the way of his peripheral vision. It was female.

"Hi do _you_ need a campus tour?" the voice asked suggestively and he turned around and saw a girl, around his age, wearing extremely little clothing and smiling at him seductively.

Not wanting to cause a huge scene on his first day he decided to quickly dismiss her. "No thank you." He said smoothly before turning his back to her. He did not want to be associated with anyone who wore what looked like undergarments. It was degrading. In fact undergarments in Narnia would be better, but Eustace had carefully explained to him the "trends" nowadays.

Now if Edmund had learned anything from their talks in the past weeks it was that the human IQ went down a few couple hundred points since he went to Narnia. Talking bizarrely, wearing outrageous clothing, constantly facemarking, tweaking or whatever the hell they called it.

"I'm McKenna Kingsley," the girl said obviously not being able to take a hint, "My father's the vice-principal of the school." she bragged.

_"And I don't really care." _Edmund thought as he prayed that she would just go away and leave him alone.

"Tell you what," Edmund said facing the girl who looked absolutely elated in gaining his attention, "talk to me when your father is the principal of this school and then we'll see."

McKenna was appalled at his response but quickly shook the blow off and pretended like it never happened.

"I'll see you after school then, Eddie." She said loudly so the whole cafeteria could hear her before winking at Edmund and walking away, missing Edmund roll his eyes at her delusions.

HISTORY CLASS

Avalon closed the Physics book that she had been lugging around the whole day. She had finally finished the assigned reading and read a few pages in advance during History while Mr. Banner was still MIA.

Everyone else in the room was making a huge fuss about the new kid. She believed she heard his name was Edward. The entire female population minus herself was vying for his attention and the males figured they'd be able to score some dates if they were friends with him. It was a rather funny sight to see, he clearly did not want the attention and she almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Chuckling at his predicament she focused her attention to making a mental list as to what she was supposed to do later that day: work and ask Ernie for a raise because she had been working extra shifts, cook dinner, help Emma and Adam with their homework, do laundry, read Emma a bedtime story and start on her own assignments.

She groaned at the extensiveness of it all and began biting at end of her pen, a habit that she had fallen into that helped her think, just then Mr. Banner stormed in and the entire class rushed to their seats and straightened their backs and gave him their full attention – he was the famous tyrant in the high school faculty.

"I'm sorry I'm late, class. I had business to attend to." He said as he set his things down on the table.

Avalon glared daggers at his back. She despised Mr. Banner with a burning passion but he was one of only 3 history teachers in the entire high school and she had the worst of luck ever, so every single year she would find herself sitting in his class 3 times a week for an hour much to her chagrin.

The feeling was mutual. Mr. Banner seemed to pick on her every single class, which was why she was his top student. Avalon refused to grant him the satisfaction of getting the better of her.

He began droning on about the Arthurian era, something that Avalon was quite well-versed about so she quickly drowned him out and let her thoughts carry her away from the 4 walls of the classroom. Strangely enough, her thoughts were about the new kid. There was something about him... she couldn't quite put her finger on it and it unnerved her. His presence made her feel like things were about to change and she was never a fan of change.

Taking a glimpse at her empty notebook she decided to jot down the word "Camelot" telling herself that she would do more research on it later that day.

_"Just 15 minutes before that blasted bell finally rings... hang in there Ava." _She thought to herself and inwardly wondered where Mr. Banner's routinely execution for her was.

"Ms. Carter."

Ah. There it is.

Her head snapped up in attention as she faced him. "Yes." She answered looking him in the eye accepting his silent challenge.

"Do you think you are so above everyone in this class that listening is no longer an option." He sneered.

"_Yes." _She thought in her head, not like she'd ever say it aloud because that would allow Banner to give her a detention slip and flash her that smug smile of his and on top of that she would be late for work.

"No, sir." She said smiling sweetly.

"Then you would do very well to pay attention. Now, would you care to tell me the exact name of the legendary island where Excalibur was believed to be forged?"

A moment of silence elapsed as Avalon racked through her brain about all the tiny factoids she knew on the Arthurian era and a triumphant grin flashed through is features.

"Avalon." She finally answered, her voice clear and void of uncertainty, and she shot him a smirk for good measure.

His face fell. "That is correct," he said grimly. He faced the entire class once again, "Eyes and ears on me people." he said, "now, there have been numerous discussions on the…"

"_5 more minutes." _She thought happily.

Unknown to our dear Avalon was that she had unintentionally sparked the interest of young Edmund Pevensie who found himself intrigued with this strange girl. She was… different. She had not only totally alienated herself at the start of the class by burying her face into a physics book but also publicly laughed at his predicament, when she noticed how he disliked the way everyone else fawned over him before retreating back into her own little world.

Edmund did not bother listening to the discussion when Mr. Banner began babbling on about King Arthur this and King Arthur that. He had enough spare time during his stay in Narnia and immersed himself into various studies, including the Arthurian era, in an attempt to quench his thirst for knowledge. He practically memorized the entire Narnian law and many different languages: from Latin to Greek to French and Spanish. He was a genius, and he knew it.

So listening to a middle-age man talk about something he had already learned before was not even close to as interesting as the girl sitting just a few chairs away from him.

He watched as she too ignored the teacher like she'd already been here and done that and learned everything that this man had to say. He watched as she looked at her watch and emanated waves of excitement like a child on Christmas day.

**(A/N: the next few lines are what previously happened to Avalon but this time it's Ed's reaction :D)**

"Ms. Carter."

Edmund's eyes looked to the teacher who hovered over mystery girl whose last name he concluded was Carter.

"Yes." She answered and Edmund watched as she raised her eyebrows as if to accept a challenge

"Do you think you are so above everyone in this class that listening is no longer an option." Mr. Banner asked.

"No, sir." She said but Edmund noted that her voice and her movements proved her answer to be otherwise. She had a lot of nerve and it intrigued Edmund to no end. This girl had the audacity to ignore him and to think that she was smarter than everyone else and the gall to defy a teacher.

The next thing he knew she was asked a question that they hadn't talked about but of course he knew the answer to and silently hoped she did too.

"Avalon." Came her sure reply and Edmund had to stop himself from grinning proudly.

Yes, it seemed his stay here was going to be very interesting.

When the bell rang, Carter practically jumped out of her seat and quickly began packing her stuff as everyone – girl and boy – was at his side once again.

"_Aslan help me." _he thought as he glared at everyone who got within 2 meters of him before he heard his name being called by the teacher.

"Mr. Pevensie," he looked up to face his history teacher. "Sir?" he responded.

"Ms. Carter will be your official school tour guide along with your cousin. I sure she would be happy to assist you after school. Approach her anytime for any inquiries and any notes you might need from the past week." He said as he shot a cruel smile towards the girl who was now fuming.

"Alright, the rest of you get out before I give you all detention!" Mr. Banner hollered as the rest of the students scampered out of the classroom.

Edmund smiled. Mr. Banner was now his favorite teacher.

"Hello." Edmund greeted as he approached the furious girl. As he got nearer he vaguely heard her muttering a streamline of colorful words aimed towards a certain history professor. This girl was really something.

"I'm Edmund Pevensie." He continued as he neared her. Standing closer to her he noticed how strikingly blue her eyes were - at the moment they seemed to pierce, cut and slash through the air like sapphires as she continued her angry rant about their history professor. It was rather odd for Edmund to see a girl so outspoken and confident and it amused him profusely. Narnian women were soft-spoken and unidealistic and gentle, too gentle. Not that there was anything wrong with being a prim and proper lady but Ed found their company rather boring.

Avalon stopped sputtering malicious and hateful words towards the professor when she noticed Edmund was standing in front of her. She looked up to face him since he was at least a head taller than her and noticing how close he was she quickly took a step back suddenly feeling uncomfortable at the unusual proximity.

She sighed, "Listen Edward, I'm sure you're a really nice guy," she began, "and as much as I'd like to give you a campus tour I can't. You're just going to have to ask Eustace to do it. But I can give you my notes from the first week... on second thought never mind, I never take down notes." She mused before looking him in the eye waiting for his response.

And it was the first time she got a good look at him. He was tall and lean with a mop of disheveled dark brown hair and matching dark chocolate eyes that seemed to her more like a black abyss. And she admitted that yes, Edward did live up to the rumors being spread about him.

"It's Edmund actually." He corrected smirking at her.

She sifted though her bag looking for something before she looked at him blankly and plainly said, "Not to be rude but I really don't care.". She pulled out a piece of paper that was folded one too many times to count and shoved it into her pocket as she slung her messenger bag over her shoulder.

Edmund raised his eyebrows at her response. Had it been any other person who had said that they would probably never live to see the light of day but hearing _her_ utter those words was just... entertaining. And Ed had never been so intrigued in his life.

Taking his raised eyebrows as an offended reaction Avalon quickly corrected herself, "It's nothing personal. I don't care for a lot of things." she said.

"I noticed." Edmund said chuckling. And it surprised her. Not the fact that he was laughing but the fact that he had actually noticed her. Her wandering gaze fell on the clock and her eyes widened.

"I have to go or I'm going to be late. Bye Edward!" she called as she bolted out of the room without another word.

"It's Edmund." He called after her with a chuckle when a folded piece of paper on the floor caught his eye. He picked it up and looked at where Avalon had been just moments ago and made a note to return it to her the next time they met which Edmund hoped would be soon. Pocketing the piece of paper, he left the classroom in search for Eustace who he decided to ask more about a certain brown haired girl.

* * *

Edmund found a sense normalcy as he and Eustace walked through London Park **(A/N: just made that up idk if there's such a place but if there is YAY!) **The trees were almost Narnian and all too familiar lamp posts stood everywhere. It made him feel like he was back - really back to from he had left off.

"Do you know someone named Carter?" Edmund asked looking forward and enjoying the view.

"Someone caught your eye huh?" Eustace teased and Edmund stayed silently waiting for a reply.

"Just answer the question, Scrubb."

"Carter? No, I don't think I know anyone whose name is Carter," Eustace said as he racked his brain for an answer, "unless you mean Carter Mason but... he's a dude."

"She's a _girl_." Edmund stressed and glared at Eustace for hinting that he was even remotely gay. "Besides, it's her last name that's Carter." Edmund stated which made Eustace stop in his tracks.

"Wait. Are you talking about Avalon Carter?"

"I don't know that's why I'm asking you." Edmund frowned.

"Did you have Banner today?" Eustace pressed on and Edmund nodded his head in response and realization seemed to sink in in Eustace's face.

"Yup, that's Avalon all right." Eustace said, "What of her?"

"Tell me about her." Edmund demanded and was shocked to see Eustace shrug his shoulders. Eustace who always made it a point to know everyone's business had nothing to say.

"There isn't much to tell. Her father bailed on them a few years back and her mother practically left her to take care of everything including her 2 younger siblings," Eustace summarized, "It's a hopeless case, Ed. She's a sealed book, inside a vault hidden underneath an active volcano."

Edmund quirked a brow at his cousin's rather odd metaphor. However that case it seemed like mystery girl was living up to her name. "But," Eustace continued and Edmund eagerly listened, "if you really want any chance of getting closer to her you're going to have to be friends with either Charlotte Evans or Seth Charmichael. In fact it'd be better if you went for Charmichael."

* * *

_Edmund's teeth chattered at the cold and his stomach churned. He hadn't eaten all day and it didn't help that he'd hurled what was left in his stomach earlier that day after seeing all that blood...  
_

_He lay curled up in a ball in a futile attempt to warm some part of his frail body and the ice cold floor seemed to seep into his clothes despite his hardest efforts and he wished that he had taken that coat from Peter because it was so cold and he was so afraid. _

_In the cell beside his own he heard another set of teeth chattering, it was a faun, another prisoner of the White Witch. And Edmund wondered how many more were hidden in these cells, how many more were turned to stone. The image of the fox flashed through his mind - the way his eyes once so bright and alive became hollow and cold. And the young boy forgot about the icy air that consumed him and anger bubbled and he swore he would do all he could to stop this injustice. _

_The sound of footsteps drew his attention and he looked up to see the person who had caused him all this suffering and pain smiling sweetly down at him before proceeding towards the shackled faun who quivered. Edmund was not certain whether it was because of the cold or fear. _

_He glared at the immaculate white woman clad in ice and heart of stone and wished with all his heart that he could do something to help Mr. Tumnus the way he had helped Lucy. But he too was chained and just like that day with the fox all he could do was watch. _

_"Faun, do you know why you are here?" came her wicked and sickeningly sweet voice._

_Edmund watched as the faun looked up with all the strength he could muster. He watched as those once weak, tired almond brown eyes challenged the icy blue ones that stared him down as he answered, "Because I believe in a free Narnia." he hissed._

_The witch let out a sinister laugh which echoed through the walls and sent shivers down his spine. _

_"No," she said and Edmund dreaded the next words that came out of her pale lips, "you are here because he turned you in... for sweeties." she said mockingly as she gazed pitifully at Edmund but he took no notice of it. _

_All he could see were those eyes. _

_Those brown eyes that oozed betrayal as they stared at him in shock. _

_"Traitor."_

* * *

**YAY finally done I hope you guys enjoyed that I made it extra long for you :) **

**Anyway did you guys love it or hate it? Leave a review and tell me what you think because I love your reviews ;)  
**

**Ciao for now!**

**phoenix0723**


	4. Sweet Serendipities

**Remember Me**

_**"Memory is a curse..."  
**_

**Guys I'm freaking out right now… 30 + REVIEWS!? You guys are the bomb diggity (lol been watching bring it on during my free time).**

**This is super inspiring me :)**

**If you guys have any questions about the story or clarifications when you're done reading just review/PM me and I'll be happy to answer. And, if you guys have any more suggestions or ideas just tell me and I'll do my best to squeeze it in the story.**

**There are 2 references that I used in this chapter – one is from Mean Girls lol and the other one if from one of my favorite movies called Serendipity it's really old so I don't expect you to know it but if you do YAY! And this chapter was inspired by the song "Nothing Like You" by Dan+Shay**

**I know its been like a month (possibly more) since I updated and I am extremely sorry but I was grounded by my parents for reasons that will remain unknown. But now I am back and ready to write!**

**Okay I'm going to end this now – I'm still kind of on a high right now from reading all your wonderful, wonderful reviews**

**I made this chapter especially long to make up for my absence ;) in fact that might have added to the fact that I updated so late….**

**Here's chapter 4! ENJOY!**

CHAPTER 4: Sweet Serendipities

"I hate you."

Avalon rolled her eyes at her friend despite the fact that Charlotte couldn't see her since they were talking over the phone. She began to regret her decision to tell Charlotte what Banner had said after class since the only thing she caught was the part about the new kid.

"You know I called so we could exchange insults about Banner not so you could rave over Edward." She muttered as she stirred her spoon in the empty bowl of ice cream laid in front of her. It was around 12 am and she'd just finished loading the dishes into the washer when she decided to call Charlotte.

It was their thing. Every night - or morning if that be the case - before either of them went to bed, they would call each other and talk. It was a routine they'd fallen into when they became friends in middle school and Avalon – though she'd never admit it – found comfort in their conversations.

"Edmund," Charlotte corrected and Avalon heard her sigh over the phone, "I just can't believe you're assigned to be his tour guide. It's the perfect excuse to super-glue yourself his side." She said giddily.

"I'm not using it as an excuse so that you can flirt with him Char," She pointed out knowing that if she didn't Charlotte would devise some ingenious plan in which she and probably Seth would be dragged into.

"Darn." Charlotte muttered and Avalon laughed.

"Hey do you have his schedule?" Charlotte asked out of the blue excitedly.

"Whose schedule?"

"EDMUND'S!" Charlotte cried and Avalon put the phone away from her ear at the shrill cry, "Seriously get with the program, Av."

"Seriously, keep doing that and I'm going to end up deaf," Avalon said mimicking Charlotte's tone, "Yes I have it and no I am not giving it to you." Avalon said before the girl could get another word in and vaguely heard her best friend muttering something along the lines of 'good for nothing best friends'.

"I think you should get together." Charlotte stated.

"Really now?" Avalon asked with a small smile, "too bad because he's not really my type."

"Oh like you would know what your type is!" Charlotte exclaimed, "I'm starting to get the feeling you fear men."

"I do not fear men. I just tend to avoid them because they're vile and undependable and they make life unnecessarily complicated." She said defensively.

"Oh sweetie, denial is the first sign." Charlotte soothed but Avalon could tell that the other girl was grinning like a madman and mocking her.

"You suck." Avalon pouted as she leaned back against the chair.

"You love me." Charlotte said with a laugh before her voice turned grave, "you shouldn't let your past affect you Avie. I know your dad –"

"I really don't want to talk about it, Char." She said cutting the girl on the other end midsentence and Charlotte just sighed in defeat.

Avalon check the wall clock which showed that both girls clearly needed to get going to bed soon or they'd be walking zombies in the morning. Besides, she could already hear Charlotte stiffing a yawn over the phone.

"You sound exhausted," Avalon stated as another yawn emitted from the girl, "you should get to bed."

"So should you," the girl on the other end pointed out to her best friend, "What time did you get off work?"

"Earlier than usual." Avalon answered casually.

"Mhmm." Charlotte replied disbelievingly, "You work yourself too hard Avie." She said worriedly.

"I'm fine." Avalon answered bluntly.

"We both know that's not true." Charlotte whispered.

"It's getting late. Night, Char." Avalon said cutting the conversation short.

The girl on the other end sighed and Avalon could feel the pity and worry emanating her friend, "Night, Av."

_Click._

The brunette laid the phone on the table as she stared idly into the darkness. Running a hand through her hair she stood from the dinner table and placed her bowl in the kitchen sink. A frown etched on her face from her previous conversation.

_A young girl, no older than 9 or 10, stood by the doorframe watching an all too familiar scene unfold before her eyes. _

_Wild angry gestures were exchanged between a man and a woman – to the girl they were mom and dad. Her wide sapphire blue eyes watched her parents – they watched her mother crying and looking like a small frail child as her father screamed at her. Neither noticed their eldest daughter._

_Then again they hardly ever noticed her or her siblings. They were too caught up in their own problems to pay attention to anyone else. _

_The most of words they exchanged were inaudible to the girl's ears – she had long learned to not take it to heart or mind. Mom and dad always fought. In fact, Avalon was finding it hard to remember a time when they weren't fighting._

_Her father bellowed something and took heavy, furious breaths when he finished. Her mother stopped sobbing but tears still streamed down what one might have once called beautiful face and her eyes grew cold and bitter as she screamed back at her husband. _

_Avalon's eyes widened as her father brought his hand down on her mother's face and it took everything in her not to gasp out loud._

_Dad never hit mom. _

_She saw her mother's fallen frame shake as she remained on the kitchen floor. _

"_I don't need you or this family."_

_With these words her father stormed out of the kitchen, past their mother, past her, away from their house and out of their lives._

_She cautiously walked over to her mother. "Mom?" she said quietly, breaking the deafening silence. _

"_Not now, Avalon. Just go." _

_So she did the only thing a nine year old could do. The only thing she knew how to do… she ran. _

_She ran. _

_She ran as far away from her house as possible. _

_But that night she returned. Everything was the same but at the same time it wasn't. She wouldn't have come back, you know. She had half a mind to just keep on running, she knew no one would look for her – not her mom who was probably still in a mess and definitely not her dad. But she came back anyway because of those two innocent figures sleeping peacefully on the second floor totally ignorant to the tempests that surrounded them. _

_Adam and Emma who were both too innocent and too gentle knew nothing of the turmoil that constantly surrounded their family… Avalon made sure of that. _

_She came back for them. _

_Because when they were born she swore to herself that they'd have it better than she did. _

Avalon blinked her eyes and shook the image away. It was in the past – it didn't matter anymore and she wouldn't have it affect her.

But it was too late.

You see the minute she walked back into that house she'd built walls to shield herself from anything and anyone that could ever hurt her. She built them high and she built them strong. And to this day only two people have seen those walls crack.

She quickly shut her eyes to avoid her mind from straying to unwelcoming thoughts. Damn Charlotte. It'd been awhile since she was reminded of her past but she knew that Charlotte was only worrying about her. She always worried too much about everything.

Walking quietly so as not to wake anyone, she proceeded into Adam's room and walked over to the bed where he lay. She smiled down at him as she lightly kissed the top of his head and covered him with the blanket that he had unceremoniously kicked off his bed in his sleep before proceeding to Emma's room.

Entering Emma's room was like walking into a new world – a world of pink and purple and green and rainbows and glitter all in one. Dolls and tiaras were scattered on the floor as well as crayons and a bunch of coloring books, which Avalon picked up as she made her way towards the little bundle curled on the bed.

"Good night princess." She whispered as she kissed her forehead much like she did with Adam and tucked her teddy bear into her tiny arms, which clutched the bear almost immediately when she did so.

Avalon quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door before stalking over to her own bedroom.

She shut the door behind her and ran a hand through her hair as she plopped herself into the chair and stared at the nothingness that surrounded her. Sighing, she snapped back into reality and rummaged through her school bag in search of something and when her hands came out empty. Her eyes widened as she frantically shifted through the things inside a second time.

"_This cannot be happening." _She thought as she quickly emptied the contents of her bag on her bed.

"Where is it?" she muttered as she looked around her room when her eyes landed on the pair of jeans she had worn earlier that day and she breathed a sigh of relief as she walked over and shoved her hand inside the pocket only to not find what she was looking for.

She searched the other pocket and found it empty.

"_Shit."_

It wasn't that she had lost it that was the problem. It was the fact that she had lost it and someone would find it. Now _that_ was what scared her.

* * *

Edmund stared at the folded piece of paper table in his hand while sitting at the breakfast table and debated whether or not he should open it and read it.

It taunted him to no end.

He really shouldn't open it. He knew that.

…

…

…

Then why was so it damn hard to put it away?

Edmund groaned and shoved the piece of paper in his jean pocket as the better side of him won. _"Stupid righteous instincts." _He cursed inwardly.

He stabbed his food and shoved it into his mouth telling himself that when he saw her today at school he would give it back. Hopefully it would be a start of… well whatever between them. It was strange. It was like he felt some sort of connection with…

Oh great, now he was thinking like some obsessed teenager.

He sighed, at least he'd have a decent excuse to talk to her.

* * *

Avalon slumped on the lockers with her eyes closed as she hugged her books to her chest. She'd barely gotten any sleep last night because she was up all night worrying about that stupid piece of paper that she so carelessly lost. How could she have been so stupid?

She'd even prayed for crying out loud! Not like she believed in a God but she decided it was worth a shot and she was in dire need of a miracle.

"Waiting for someone in particular?"

She opened her eyes and saw Charlotte standing in front of her.

"Yes in fact I was waiting for you." She pointed out as she kicked herself off the lockers and began walking beside her best friend.

"You sure you weren't waiting for a certain brown haired male to tour?" Charlotte said wiggling her eyebrows to which Avalon just shook her head and laughed.

"What brown haired male?" a deep voice asked behind them as the two girls looked back to see the final member of their trio.

"Hey, Seth." Both girls said in unison and Seth nodded his head in response.

"What guy?" he pressed on glancing between the two girls.

"Nobody, just Edmund Pevensie." Charlotte said as she nudged Avalon.

"The new kid?" Seth clarified and both girls nodded their heads in agreement. "Yeah," he mused after a moment of thought, " he seems pretty cool."

Charlotte stopped in her tracks causing Seth and a couple of other people walking behind them to collide into each other earning nasty glares directed at her. She paid them no heed as she spun around to face Seth.

"Rewind," she commanded, gesturing wildly with her hands, "you've spoke to him? Why didn't you tell me!?" she said accusingly as a dark aura surrounded her.

"I didn't think it mattered," Seth said raising his hand defensively, "He was just in my first period and we got talking."

"Never. Ever. Withhold. Info. From. Me!" Charlotte said hitting the poor boy with each word.

"Jeez woman, calm down!" Seth said as he desperately tried evading her punches.

Avalon shook her head at her friends' childish antics.

"AVA! HELP ME!" Seth cried as Charlotte chased him, screaming something about castrating him for not telling her that he'd spoken to Edward…. Edmund. Dammit! She'd have to keep that in mind.

As she became victim to her thoughts she didn't realize her friends approach her – Seth was rubbing his shoulder and muttering something along the lines of 'violent woman and that he should start bringing sedatives to school'.

"It doesn't matter anyway." Seth said not resting his case as he shoved his hands into his pockets sulking that Charlotte had gotten a couple of hits on him.

"Yes it does! Because Avalon here is going to get herself a man… at least after I'm through with her!" Charlotte said pumping her fits in the air and doing a victory dance.

"WHAT!?" Seth said as he gave Avalon a look that she couldn't quite place. It was somewhere between anger, shock and… was that hurt?

"She's crazy." Avalon mouthed to which Seth's previous face had disappeared and his understanding and boyish grin took its place.

"I'll talk to you guys later! Bye" Charlotte called as she skipped down the hallway. "Bye." The two echoed as they watched the blonde haired girl blur past several bystanders before the resumed their walk to their respective classrooms.

"So what was that about?" Seth asked when they were finally alone.

"Char's convinced herself that I have a fear of men." Avalon mumbled as Seth barked out a laugh.

"It's not funny!" She yelled hitting him in the exact same spot Charlotte had just moments ago, "You know she'd never going to stop trying now that she had it in her head to eradicate this 'problem'." Avalon said air-quoting the last word.

Seth rubbed his sore arm, "I really should stop hanging out with you girls– sooner or later it's going to take a toll on my health."

A comfortable silence fell as they walked to their classrooms.

"You don't like him do you?" Seth asked out of the blue as he eyed her curiously.

"No," she scoffed, "why do you ask?" she said suspiciously.

"Nothing," he said shrugging, "just curious."

Avalon stopped walking when she reached the classroom for her last period. "Well," she said stopping in front of the door, "this is me. Hey, are you okay?" she asked after a moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Seth said giving her an odd look.

"Oh okay. It's just that you've been acting weird lately and I thought something might be wrong. Forget about it," she said waving it off, "my mistake." She said shooting him a smile as she disappeared into the classroom leaving Seth standing there staring after her.

"If only you knew." He muttered, staring longingly at where she had just been standing before walking away.

* * *

The classroom was in chaos when she entered and she groaned when she heard someone squeal "EDMUND!"

"_Great. He's here. Best not tell Charlotte, who knows what that girl might do if she finds out he's in another one of my classes." _She said making a mental note to herself as she plopped down into her chair, plugged her earphones on, brought out a book and began reading.

Edmund was desperately attempting to keep people (mainly girls) from smothering themselves onto him and had half a mind to walk out of the classroom and be done with it all when he noticed a familiar head of chestnut brown hair in the front of the room and decided against it.

"Hey Eddie."

"Hello, McKenna." He said with a forced smile. As much as he wanted to dismiss the girl, he knew it was against his promises as the Just king (yes although he was no longer in Narnia he still upheld his title) – though the old Edmund would have gladly walked away without another thought... sometimes he wished those days had not passed.

"Have you thought about my offer?" she said smiling sweetly at him – though to Ed it felt more like a hunter staring at its prey.

"About that…" he said trailing off as his eyes flickered over to Avalon who sat oblivious to the world around her when a brilliant idea popped into his head.

"Unfortunately McKenna, Mr. Banner has already assigned me a tour guide." He said feigning a look of disappointment.

"Oh," she said raising an eyebrow, "and who might that be?" she asked and Edmund noted the evil glint that flickered in her eyes. But something told him that the tour guide he had in mind would not be so easily pushed around by the likes of McKenna Kingsley.

Ed's eye's strayed towards Avalon and McKenna followed his gaze before gasping. "The charity case?!" she breathed out in utter horror and absolute disbelief.

"Charity case?" Ed echoed looking at her. _Now_ he was curious at what she had to say seeing is it involved the girl that remained an annoying enigma in his life.

"Oh Eddie, I am so sorry. I'll have father fix this immediately." She said laying her perfectly manicured hand on his arm, which he shook off as he said, "I am actually perfectly content with the arrangement so there would be no need to bother your father."

McKenna opened her mouth to retort but was cut off as the professor entered the room and ordered everyone to return to their respective seats, which the platinum blonde did but not before she shot Edmund a wink. The latter paid no heed to the attempts of the girl for his attention was rather focused on the brunette a few seats in front of him who quickly slipped her music thingy into her bag and listened intently to the teacher.

"_Suppose, I'll have to find her after school." _ He thought as he turned his attention to what the teacher was harping to them about – something about not having sex and getting chlamydia and dying. Then the teacher who he later named was Coach Carr began handing out packets of rubbers. "_What do rubbers have to do with anything?"_ he thought as a basket was passed around the class. This place just kept getting weirder and weirder.

When the bell had finally rung, Avalon was the first to storm out and Edmund hurried after her and noticed that she'd thrown the rubber thing that was handed out earlier in class into the trash bin. He quickly did the same as he darted after her and evaded his fan club.

Once he'd managed squeezed out of the door he began looking for her in the crowd but to no avail. He cursed under his breath in Narnian language and a few people glanced his way but didn't say anything.

He exhaled and shoved his hands into his pocket as he went to go meet up with Eustace.

* * *

A buzzing in her pocket made Avalon stop in her hurry and reach into her jean pocket to grab her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey kid!" boomed Ernie, her boss', familiar voice over the speaker.

"Hey Ern, what's up?" she said as she hiked her messenger bag up higher on her shoulder as it started to slide off.

"You're off duty today, kid."

"What!?" Avalon screamed into her phone, "Ernie, I need that shift – I've got bills to pay and- " she babbled.

"Avalon Jean Carter, relax I'm giving you the day off. By the looks of last night you need it kid." Ernie said chuckling over the phone, "And don't worry you'll still get your pay for today, Tony's agreed to cover for you."

"But I-"

"Shut up, kid. Just say thank you." The man scolded over the phone.

Avalon sighed in defeat, "Thank you, Ernie." She said her voice laced with gratitude.

Ernie grunted over the phone and Avalon had to stop herself from laughing at his uneasiness at her gratitude, "Don't mention it kid. Just get some rest okay?" he said before hanging up.

She stared at her phone before shoving it into her pocket as a weight was lifted off her. Had she really been that exhausted these days that Tony, someone she barely talked to, offered to take her shift? _"Oh well," _she thought, _"at least I have some time to myself"_

She knew that Seth had lacrosse training and Charlotte had cheer practice because heaven knows she needs an outlet for her hyper activeness and bubbliness. So she decided on a café just down the street, which she went to whenever she could because it didn't have, a lot of people and she could have so peace and quiet. Plus their food and drinks were delicious.

Avalon exited the school and walked a little ways till she reached the familiar café with the small but distinct sign "Serendipity".

* * *

Edmund exited the school grounds for Eustace sent him off to get a frappe – a drink

that Edmund had gotten rather fond of during his stay. Eustace was part of the school newspaper and was having a meeting, which Edmund would have had to sit in and listen to but was quickly sent away by the editor-in-chief because he was distracting the female members. Hence now he was out getting coffee.

Not that he minded, it was getting quite awkward inside the room and he always preferred spending his time outdoors if not in his library in Narnia. Taking his time, since he was in no rush to return to the conference room and be ogled at like a piece of meat put in front of a starved man, he observed his surroundings and sighed at the lack of greenery.

Stopping at the café Eustace told him about he stared at the sign: "Serendipity". _"Hn," _he mused, _"odd name for a café." _ As he pushed open the door.

The sweet smell of cinnamon and chocolate filled his nose the minute he stepped in. He casually made his way towards the counter to order when he noticed that the cashier was busy tapping on her IPhone – Eustace had taught him that – or the "little black box" as he liked to call it.

"Excuse me miss." He said in a smooth and silky voice.

The girl, maybe 2 or 3 years older than him, looked up and her eyes widened as she eyed Edmund up and down.

"Hello." She said putting down her phone and propping herself over the counter so Edmund could get a good look at her ample cleavage – not that he looked.

Edmund politely nodded his head in response. "What can _I _do for _you_?" she asked though Edmund had a feeling she meant something more by those words. He quickly gave his order and paid as he waited for the drinks.

"Edmund!" the girl's voice called when his order was done and he made his way towards her shooting her a look of thanks as he accepted the drinks. She winked at him before turning around to the next customer.

He picked up his drink and turned it around to see that neat feminine scrawl and read the words "Heidi" who he assumed was the girl's name and a number. He rolled his eyes; and he thought women in Narnia were bad – at least they were slightly subtler and less aggressive about their affections towards men.

Just as he lowered his drink and began to make his way out of the café, his eyes flickered to a corner booth and saw none other but the girl who constantly seeped into his thoughts.

"_Serendipity huh?" _he thought ironically as he stared at the girl.

She hadn't noticed him yet and to be honest he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't notice him at all for would be quite hard to do seeing as she was listening to that music of hers again, with her face practically shoved into the book she was so engrossed in and she was twirling a strand of hair in one finger.

Edmund took a minute to stare at her.

After a while, he noticed the stack of books beside her and couldn't prevent the chuckle that escaped his lips. As if she had heard him, Avalon raised her head and glanced around before she laid her hazy eyes on Edmund.

An infinity seemed to pass between them as their eyes bore into each other.

But it was quickly shattered when she frowned and resumed to reading her book like nothing had happened. It was annoying and he knew she knew he was staring. He could see it in the rigidity of her posture and the tenseness of her shoulders.

"_Just do it, Ed." _He berated as he hesitated.

"_She's just a girl."_

It was absolutely ridiculous! He was frozen to the ground and it was all her fault. He'd fought and won battles and lead armies countless of times and here he was getting cold feet when confronted with a girl! Dear Aslan what has the world come to?

So, without thinking he marched over to where she sat.

"Hello." He said as his mind fully comprehended what he had just done. But it was too late to go back now. It was quite ironic actually. He'd always reveled in the fact that he always thought things thorough. Peter was the one who went parading in any situation without a plan. And yet here he was.

Avalon gripped her book a little tighter as his shadow loomed over her hunched frame.

"You know most people would say 'hi' back out of courtesy." He said.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not like most people." Avalon said as she abruptly stood up and began gathering her stuff.

"Wait." Ed said as he reached over and placed his larger hand on top her of hers evidently preventing her from shoving the rest her things inside her bag.

Avalon's eyes widened marginally as she stared at their intertwined hands and Ed couldn't help but notice how piercingly blue they were. She quickly pulled away as if her skin burned at his touch. Ed winced at the thought.

He watched her pack up all her stuff and didn't have the slightest clue what to do next so he opted to stand there.

"What do you want?" She said sighing in annoyance as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Are you always this pleasant to talk to?" Edmund smirked as he leaned against the chair booth.

"Are _you_ always this annoying?" she snapped.

"I am well aware that I'm not everyone's cup of tea." He said unfazed by her remark as he leaned on the booth.

Avalon rolled her eyes at his comment.

"_Well, I suppose now would be as good as any to give it back to her."_ Edmund thought as he bulked up the courage for his next move.

"I have something of yours." He blurted out in hopes to stall her from leaving and he slowly reached into his pocket to retrieve the folded piece of paper he'd found the other day.

Avalon's eyes widened when she immediately recognized the paper in he held in his hand.

"Where did you get that!?" She screeched as she snatched the paper from him resulting in it crumpling further as she clutched onto it for dear life.

"A simple thank you would suffice." He muttered under his breath but the girl did not drop her deathly glare.

"You dropped it on your way out of Banner's the other day." He stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Avalon looked at the paper she held in her hand before she eyed the boy in front of her warily, "Did you open it?" she said quietly, clearly dreading the answer. But Ed could hear the intensity in her voice despite the lack of volume. Whatever was written inside that paper was important to her. Really important. And he was glad he chose not to read it. Despite her size, Ed had a feeling that igniting the girl's wrath would be dangerous.

"No." he stated as a matter of factly.

Avalon looked up and stared at him disbelievingly.

"Trust me." Ed said finding the taste of these particular words rolling off his tongue quite bitter. Back in Narnia there were those who still questioned his loyalty and Ed went through great lengths to prove himself. He hated it. He hated how his past seemed to carry into the things he did. It was one of the reasons why he'd miss London. It presented a clean slate.

Unfortunately it seemed that people doubting him followed him even all the way here.

Avalon scoffed, "I've heard _that _before." She said as she made a move to leave but Ed grabbed her arm.

"Let me go." She seethed pulling at his hold and refusing to meet his gaze.

"What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?" Ed asked.

"I don't hate you," Avalon said, "then again I don't particularly like you either." She added.

Edmund quirked a brow at her and she sighed.

"It's complicated," She muttered, "but I think it would be best if we just left each other alone, Edmund." She said she finally managed to shake her arm from his grip and walked out of the café.

Ed looked after her wistfully, _"At least she got my name right." _He thought before he too exited the cafe.

Who knew talking to women could be so troublesome?

* * *

"What took you so long?" Eustace said as he exited the meeting room to find his cousin walking towards him with a pensive expression.

"I got a little… distracted." Edmund said lamely and Eustace gave him a disbelieving look before shrugging off his cousin's odd behavior and grabbing his frappe from Edmund's hands.

"Come on," he said dragging Ed out the school doors, "today, you're going to get the education of a lifetime… literally." Eustace said chuckling at his own wittiness.

As they excited the school doors Edmund was stopped in his tracks by his cousin. "Hey Ed? Who's Heidi and why does she want you to call her?" Eustace said with a grin as Edmund glared and changed their drinks.

A few minutes later Edmund found himself standing in front of a local bar and crinkled his nose. He'd never been too found of alcohol or wine. He'd always preferred deserts.

"Is this really necessary?" Ed said gruffly as he tried to shake off Eustace's vice-like grip.

Eustace looked at his cousin and noted how he looked so normal in the London setting but in all actuality was far from it. "Listen neither of us know why you're here. There are definitely no wars for you to fight so that leaves us with two options: a) you sit around and do nothing and hope that Aslan sends you back or b) you go around do things people in this century normally do."

"Really?" Ed said incredulously, "a bar?" His regard for the youth today plummeted.

Eustace threw his arm around Ed's shoulder and the said boy had to crouch a little due to the height difference. Eustace pushed open the door and Ed was greeted with a waft of sweat and alcohol that almost made him hurl.

"Welcome to the real world dear cousin."

* * *

Avalon quickly wiped the counter of spilled beer before she proceeded to readying a customer's order.

"I thought I told you not to come in today, kid." A gruff voice said from behind her as she spun around and saw her boss.

She shrugged, "I didn't really have anything else to do." That was a lie actually. She could have spent her time at Serendipity but then Edmund had to show up. She didn't know why she felt so uncomfortable whenever she was around him but she knew that minute she saw him that things would change. And the fact that when he told her to trust him a part of her really did. That was enough to prove to her that Edmund Pevensie would just spin her life out of proportion. She wasn't a big fan of change. So she came up with a solution to avoid him at all costs – but it seems like someone has it out for her since they seem to be bumping into each other all the time.

Thank god, she had the sanctuary that was the bar. She highly doubted she'd see Edmund here.

"Sorry boss, she insisted." Tony piped up and Avalon shot him a glare.

Ernie pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fine, just don't work yourself to hard kid." And Avalon nodded with a smile. Ernie was a good boss – a great boss. And Avalon knew he'd taken a liking to her the minute she walked in 3 years ago looking for a job – she suspected it was because she reminded him of his daughter. At least that was what the older staff told her.

"Hey Avalon," a voice called out to her. She spun around and came face to face with Ian Macardell, her schoolmate.

"Hey," she greeted, "what can I get you?"

Just as she was about leave to prepare Ian's order, she heard a familiar voice break through the noise of the crowd and music, "Excuse me."

It was soft but it was the kind of voice that parted crowds and right now it did just that to reveal the one person she did not want to see… Edmund Pevensie.

"_Great. Just freaking great." _Avalon cursed. Of all the times in all the bars why here?

"The others' told me to come and help you out…" he said speaking to Ian as his voice trailed off when his eyes landed on Avalon, who shifted uncomfortably under it.

"Is that all?" she asked, turning her body completely towards Ian who nodded his head as she practically sprinted away from the two.

"What's the deal with you and Carter?" Ian asked over the music.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" Ed said breezily. _"Is it that obvious?" _he thought as he held his breath for Ian's response.

"I dunno," Ian said shrugging, "It's just when you came it was like you stabbed her with a pencil or something."

"I didn't notice."

"Then again, Avalon is strange like that." Ian mused and Ed feigned agreement by nodding his head as he watched Avalon work.

"Hey lady, I'm waiting for my order!" a drunken voice called out to the said girl as she rolled her eyes and quickly spit into the man's drink.

Edmund chuckled at the girl's uncanny behavior.

"Feisty little bugger isn't she?" Ian pointed out as Avalon walked over to the big oaf and set his order down with a sweet, unsuspecting smile.

"That she is." Ed murmured in agreement.

"Here you go, Ian." Avalon said appearing before them with their orders. Edmund frowned at the fact that she'd only addressed the man standing next to him.

Ian nodded in thanks and grabbed 2 pitchers before gesturing to Edmund to follow him as he made his way through the crowd.

"I didn't peg you as the kind of person who went to bars." He said deciding to attempt to strike a conversation with the girl before him.

"There's a lot more to me that you can tell." Avalon said after a momentary lapse of silence. And Edmund nodded in agreement.

"I think your friends are waiting for you." She said as she gestured towards the table where 5 of her classmates sat – including Eustace Scrubb. It was a weak attempt to get him to leave her alone but it was worth a shot.

"They'll be fine without me," Ed said shrugging, "besides, they're more like acquaintances anyway."

Avalon bit her tongue at his dismissal of her suggestion. It seemed that she'd found someone almost as stubborn as she was. Note the almost.

Ed proceeded to sit on the barstool as Avalon eyed him. "You do know _we're_ not friends right?" she said clarifying any misconceptions that the boy before her might be having.

"I'm getting the feeling that you are not exactly the friend type of person so it doesn't really bother me." Ed said shrugging.

She was just about to open her mouth the retort and tell him to go away when one of her coworkers passed by her. "Avalon, cover table 6 for me will you?" she hollered as she disappeared to attend to another hoard of rowdy men.

"Duty calls." Ed drawled with a gesture for her to leave as he too stood from his seat. "I'll see you in school." He said before disappearing in the crowd.

Avalon shook her head at his retreating form as she went off to do her job.

* * *

Edmund made his way back to the table as they all eyed him knowingly.

"So, Carter huh?" one of the guys asked as he sat down.

"Pardon?" he asked.

Ian slung his arm around Ed and patted it in a comforting manner, "We've all been there, man. But she's a tough nut to crack."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Edmund stated and the entire table guffawed at him.

"You like Avalon." Eustace stated obviously with a roll of his eyes, "Not that I blame you. She really is something."

"We all have in one point in time – liked her I mean." One of the guys, Alex, piped up.

"In fact, Macardell over here still has a soft spot for her." James said nudging the said male who glared at him.

"I don't like her like that." Ed said defensively, "She's just different..."

The conversation soon drifted off into another direction as most do and everyone forgot about Avalon Carter. Save for two people.

Ian spent the rest of the night eyeing Edmund, trying to figure him out. Truth be told he liked the guy. Sure he spoke like he was the prince of England but one got used to it over time. But all in all he was a good guy and Ian was looking forward to getting to know him more. That is until tonight.

His eyes flickered over to the brunette who was manning the bar – her cheeks were flushed pink as she scampered across the room to fulfill orders being thrown at her. Ian had always liked Avalon.

She was kind as sweet when she wanted to be, unknowingly beautiful, blatantly sarcastic and blunt and insanely intelligent.

And he had fallen for her.

It took him years to get her to willingly hold a conversation with him without running away in another direction and he took pride in being her friend on some level. Yet suddenly Edmund Pevensie shows up and is talking to her after only being in school for 2 weeks.

Sure, she still looked slightly uncomfortable when they were talking but she hadn't done anything to push the Pevensie boy away. And she made no move to leave despite being irked by his presence. It was only when Trisha asked for her help when they stopped talking and Ian wondered if they would have gone on talking had they not been interrupted.

The group of males, minus Ian who was too busy brooding, burst into a loud fit of laughter. He saw Edmund chuckle at their group's antics and shake his head.

His eyes instinctively flickered towards Avalon and he frowned when he noticed her gaze on the certain dark brown haired male.

He once wasn't going to lose Avalon to _anybody_.

* * *

**OHHHHHH! Tension!**

**HAHAHAHA anyway I hope you guys enjoyed that because I enjoyed writing it :)  
**

**I'll update soon - 2 weeks at the latest (scout's honor!)**

**Don't forget to review and if you have any questions/comments/suggestions feel free to put them out in the open!**

**Ciao!**

**phoenix0723**


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